With the launch of theRaptor Lake Refresh familylast year, the only CPU that got more than a clock speed bump in specifications is the Core i7 14700K. Unlike other chips, it received more cores and incremental clock speed and cache memory increases alike. As it stands, the CPU is significantly faster thanthe 13700Kin productivity and marginally better in gaming, thanks to the additional four efficient cores, increased L2 and L3 cache offerings that accompany said cores, and a 200 MHz clock speed bump.
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC 16G
Who Is The Core i7 14700K Meant For?
The Core i7 14700K is geared towards users requiring CPU-intensive workloads such as rendering, compilation, compression and decompression, encoding, or any other tasks. However, this doesn’t restrict it from performing at par with the competition in gaming. The CPU as is can handle any GPU for gaming and productivity without causing significant bottlenecks versus its competition.
The team at Game Rant is cognizant of this fact and has listed the best GPUs at different prices and performance tiers that go well with the 14700K below:
MSI Gaming RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G Gaming X Slim
MSI’s Cool Customer
The MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G Gaming X Slim is a premium, compact, and overclocked take on Nvidia’s penultimate RTX 4000 series SUPER GPU and it delivers the goods across the board for users impressed by MSI’s extended excellent run with Ada Lovelace-based GPUs.
For users aiming to leverage either the Core i7 14700K’s considerable gaming prowess, content creation abilities, or a mix of both, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER might be one of the best players in the business. The MSI Gaming RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16G Gaming X Slim is a premium SKU of the same that delivers on the value-add that the underlying GPU does while throwing in an excellent cooler and high boost clocks into the mix.
It also retains a smaller shape than most of its peers, running just over two slots, which makes it an easier fit in smaller cases, even as the length could be a limiting factor for some users. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER gets a small performance bump and an additional 4GB of fast GDDR6X memory, making it a relative no-brainer to users on the fence for the now phased-out RTX 4070 Ti at the same price point.
MSI’s offering does trade at a sub-$50 premium, however, but one can argue that it is more than justified because of its unique value-add versus the competition, even as it comes with some of the best looks and build quality in its own price bracket this year.
Sapphire AMD Radeon NITRO+ RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X
AMD’s Finest At A Premium
The Sapphire Nitro lineup is synonymous with the highest-end AMD 3rd-party GPU offerings in the market. The Nitro+ doubles down on this with the highest-in-market clocks and a vapor chamber that outperforms the stock design considerably while trading at a significant premium over competing 7900XTX-based products.
AMD’s budget-conscious take this generation saw it limit its offerings to GPUs that competed with the RTX 4080 at best. The GPU at the top rung is the RX 7900 XTX which offers 24GB of VRAM and considerable power under the hood when it comes to rasterization. For users looking to use the extra VRAM or the considerable performance on offer, the Sapphire AMD Radeon NITRO+ RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X is one of the best, if not the best models on the market.
It fixes some of the issues that the stock unit is plagued with, including one of the best coolers in the business that also contributes to a much higher boost clock and sustained performance for most users. Unlike its Nvidia competition, it comes with DisplayPort 2.1 onboard which allows it to run monitors like the new (but on sale)Samsung G9 57' Neo Dual-4K display at its maximum potential(Dual 4K @240Hz) with ease.
It does trade at a sub-$100 premium versus the competition, which might mean that users looking formore value could turn to cheaper but relatively similaralternatives of the same GPU instead.
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X Liquid
Liquid Cooled Supremacy
The MSI RTX 4090 Suprim X Liquid happens to be the most compact RTX 4090 around as well as the best liquid-cooled GPU in the RTX 4000 series currently being offered which delivers excellent, silent performance at a price that puts it in an extremely premium bracket for end users looking for the best of the best currently available in the market.
When it comes to raw power on offer from a consumer-grade GPU, there is nothing that beats the RTX 4090 from Nvidia currently. The MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X Liquid leverages this while pairing a 240MM radiator on top of Nvidia’s finest, a combination that seems to be winning handily versus the competition.
Not only is MSI’s offering much more performant than the competition, but it manages to do so while running cooler and quieter than its peers even as it offers plenty of tweakability for its users who are not impressed by its premium build quality alone. It does have its share of shortcomings, including multiple users reporting coil whine on their SKUs. Others with larger cases might not like the relatively short tubing that runs to the radiator, which could limit placement in larger cases, or those with E-ATX motherboards.
For most end users, however, there is nothing better on the market when looking for one of the fastest GPUs in the business in terms of value for money, build quality, and thermals alike. Users can also turn toMSI’s vapor-chamber-based Suprim modelif they do not want to deal with an AIO but retain the impressive design and performance promise that the Suprim (and Suprim X) come with.
Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC
Overclocked Navi On A Budget
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC is a triple-fan dual-slot graphics card that brings Gigabyte’s effective WINDFORCE cooling technology. It has three 80mm fans with alternate spinning that work alongside the five composite copper heat pipes that directly touch the GPU. The GPU uses the highest-grade metal chokes, 2oz copper PCB, lower ESR solid capacitors, and lower RDS(on) MOSFETs, among other features.
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC is an excellent GPU for users looking to get decent productivity or gaming underway without outspending the 14700K’s current sticker price. It offers a price advantage over Nvidia’s RTX 4000 series GPUs that it competes with, while Gigabyte’s tri-fan cooler, though overkill, is something that most users appreciate for its cool and quiet operation as well as the aesthetic gains it offers them.
It does run off a single 8-pin connector much like its competition and can be run on less demanding PSUs compared to any of the other choices listed above, making it a relatively easy-to-accommodate GPU for users waiting on new AMD and Nvidia cards at the tail end of 2024. Given its price and performance class, users might want to consider checking the maximum length of their case, especially if its a smaller form factor to avoid being caught by surprise by a GPU that takes up more space than its peers due to its tri-fan offering.
Thankfully,smaller (and slightly cheaper) alternatives of the same GPUare readily available that leave most, if not all of the RX 7600’s advantages intact.
ASUS Dual RTX 4070 SUPER OC 12G
Value-Centric Player For The Masses
ASUS’s dual-fan take on the RTX 4070 SUPER is possibly one of the most cost-effective launch units with a decent factory overclock.The RTX 4070 SUPER itself adds 15 to 20 percent gains in terms of raw performance to Nvidia’s first RTX 4000 series SUPER GPU release versus its predecessor.The 2.56 Slot GPU offers a relatively compact take on the RTX 4070 SUPER which also sees itself featured in larger premium tri-fan SKUs even as it sees a significant performance increase versus the RTX 4060 Ti thanks to its GDDR6X memory on offer.
Users looking to get absolute value for money on a budget relative to the 14700K should consider the recently released RTX 4070 SUPER without reservations. The ASUS Dual RTX 4070 SUPER OC 12G offers a better cooler, a decent factory overclock, and quieter operation than the stock unit for an additional $9-10 depending on the retailer users go for.
The sub-$600 price that the Dual OC SKU comes with belies its offering which delivers solid build quality and performance that holds its own versus other RTX 4070 SUPER alternatives as well as competition from AMD. This makes it an excellent consideration, if not the only major choice for a budget GPU that meets the 14700K at an equal footing without cutting costs drastically or pushing towards solutions that flirt with sub-$1k asks.
With arguably the best relative price-to-performance ratio in the guide currently, the ASUS Dual RTX 4070 SUPER OC 12G, if it fits one’s needs, delivers power, value, and a solid cooler at less than a tenner more than the stock option currently.
An All-White Juggernaut
The GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC 16G is a premium, factory-overclocked, white-themed variant of the RTX 4080 SUPER that carries the high-end AERO moniker.With an excellent tri-fan air cooler supporting a vapor chamber and a decent boost clock speed offering in tow, the all-white Gigabyte AERO OC offers much more than the competition at a premium.
For users needing more power than the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER or an aesthetic upgrade that justifies their 14700K investment, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC 16G is arguably one of the best choices on offer in 2024. It offers a powerful yet silent cooler, subtle RGB, and impressive boost clocks in a package that is much more complete than most of its peers.
Gigabyte does ask a hefty $150 premium for its all-white offering which puts it in the crosshairs of morepremium RTX 4080 SUPER SKUs including MSI’s Suprim X variantthat clocks in just an additional $50 more for a beefier cooler, better sustained, and boost clocks and an arguably better aesthetic for users not going for a particular color.
The AERO also absolutely needs its (included) support bracket unlike some of its peers that use it optionally with multiple users reporting that it can sag easily in most situations. It does come with a dual BIOS option and up to 4 years of warranty via Gigabyte for peace of mind for end users, making it an excellent investment, albeit at a premium that not all users will be willing to pay in a price-conscious market in 2024 and beyond.
Things to Consider When Buying a GPU for Core i7 14700K
Performance Requirements:Different users have different performance and hardware needs. Depending on these, users might need a bleeding-edge GPU or one that can simply handle some 3D acceleration. Both of these tiers are catered to by hardware that is wildly different in terms of performance potential, power requirements, and more importantly, price. Therefore it is key to define one’s needs before looking at GPUs to pair with the Intel Core i7 14700K.
Budget:The Core i7 14700K (or KF) costs nearly $400 and most users looking to get one would belooking to spend close to $2000 or morewhen a GPU is factored in. Getting a GPU that matches the 14700K’s impressive multithreading prowess to avoid having a GPU bottleneck in games, productivity use cases, or more recently, AI-related workloads is crucial to getting the most out of one’s PC in 2024.
PSU:Users need to have reliable power to be able to handle both the Core i7 14700K’s somewhat demanding needs and those of a discrete GPU. While the team at Game Rant would insist on at least a 750W+ Gold-rated PSU at a minimum to run a discrete GPU with the 14700K, many other GPUs considerably exceed this requirement. Game Rant does havea tiered list of all of the best PSU options one can getincluding options that match PCI-E 5.0 and ATX 3.0 standards handily.
FAQ
Q: Is Intel Core i7 14700K good for gaming?
The Core i7 14700K is the fastest Core i7 CPU ever made and is excellent for high-end gaming machines. The CPU features high single core clocks for gaming and allows for significant number-crunching potential thanks to its 20-core, 28-thread configuration that allows it to multitask with ease.
Q: What GPU is good with i7 14700K?
Any mid-range or high-end GPU will do great when combined with the i7 14700K. Game Rant recommends going at least with the RX 7800 XT or RTX 4070 Super for excellent 1440p gaming performance.
Q: Does the i7 14700K have integrated graphics?
Yes, the Core i7 14700K comes with Intel UHD Graphics 770 with a base frequency of 300MHz and a max clock speed of 1.6 GHz
